Gabe Creech Wins Inaugural Charles Francis Guittard and Nancy Davis Labastida Endowed Award in History

Gabe Creech, 2025 Baylor History graduate, won the inaugural Charles Francis Guittard and Nancy Davis Labastida Endowed Award in History for his research paper, “For Brothers, Emperor, and Country: Bonapartist Exiles and the Nostalgic Utopia of the Champ d’Asile.” The prestigious prize funded by Charles Guittard and Nancy Labastida recognizes the best paper written by a student in the History Capstone Seminar. 

Below, Gabe Creech shares insights into what inspired him to write his award-winning paper, his experience as a History Major at Baylor, and his plans for the future.

What inspired you to write your paper, “For Brothers, Emperor, and Country: Bonapartist Exiles and the Nostalgic Utopia of the Champ d’Asile?”

“I’d written research papers like this before, but with Dr. Watkins’ Napoleon class being my final class at Baylor, I wanted to do some real archival research with it. There was no way I could realistically travel any significant distance to any other archive, so I asked Dr. Watkins if there was any French history local to Texas. That’s when he told me about the Champ d'Asile (Field of Asylum). This was a military colony established in South Texas by a group of staunch Napoleon supporters after they fled France following Napoleon’s exile.

So, with a general topic and a goal—some real archival research—I contacted some local archivists. I was lucky enough to find that few historians had ever bothered to write about this place because of how seemingly insignificant it was. The colony had a short burst of fame as newspapers in Paris highlighted Texas as some sort of reminder of ‘the good ‘ol days,’ but besides that it was sort of a flash in the pan that everyone quickly forgot about, as it lasted less than a year.

The only real significant point besides its fame in France was its structure. While the settlers, almost exclusively veterans from Napoleon’s Empire, claimed the settlement was peaceful, they ran the colony as if it were a military outpost. They had a ludicrous number of weapons, structured themselves by rank, built a literal fort, and ran daily drills. Previous scholars chalk this up to a botched attempt to reestablish the French Empire, but I saw it more as an act of nostalgia. I argued that this was less an act of aggressive force, but rather an attempt to harness their memory of service to create a militaristic utopia, glorifying the brotherhood, heritage, and near deification of Napoleon.”

What was your favorite aspect of taking the History Capstone class?

“I absolutely loved being let loose. Many other history classes are structured in a way that emphasizes content over research, but the History Capstone class is designed the other way around. You get less of a broad overview of the topic, but you do get to deep dive into something super specific (like a random colony in Texas). While I thought the class did a great job of holding your hand through the process of research, there was plenty of room to go at your own pace. The expectation of the class is set from the start, meaning the entire class is gearing you up for legitimate research.”

How did you come to choose History as your major?

“I’m one of those people who knew their major coming in and never even considered switching. I grew up liking history, visiting all the sites, watching all the shows, and reading all the books, but, as a kid, I wanted to be an archaeologist. I watched Indiana Jones and thought there was no better way to use History than fighting Nazis. 

Then, I learned archaeologists are just scientists, and I never much liked science. Books are more my speed. Hence, my transition to Historian.

I’ve always been fascinated by stories; stories about where we come from, how we got here, and where we’re going. Writing fiction is not exactly a reliable career, so I opted to pursue something equally evasive…research. Still a heck of a lot more sustainable than fiction.”

What are your post-graduation plans?

“I’m pursuing my Ph.D. in History at Ohio State University!”

We look forward to seeing what Gabe Creech gets up to next! Congratulations, Gabe!